Traffic Operations

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Incident Response Program

Incident Response or Traffic Incident Management is a team of agencies, vendors, and other resources to respond to, investigate, and clean up traffic incidents. Four to ten minutes of traffic congestion (depending on traffic volume) can result from every minute a lane remains blocked, so incidents must be detected and cleared as fast as possible to minimize the impact on congestion, especially during peak periods. The average Washington motorist spends two weeks of every year stuck in traffic so it's easy to see why the Incident Response Team (IRT) serves a crucial role in keeping Washington moving.

Responder and motorist safety are top priority.

Who do you call for assistance? If involved in a collision, disabled vehicle, or other emergency dial 911.

Organizations

WSP/WSDOT Partnership - Traffic Incident Management is a key component in the Joint Operations Policy Statement (JOPS) (pdf 509 kb) agreement between WSDOT and the Washington State Patrol (WSP). WSDOT and WSP have established a mutual goal of safely clearing highway traffic incidents within 90 minutes. Achieving this goal requires additional partnerships with local fire and EMS services, the tow industry, the media, the insurance industry, and drivers. The purpose of establishing quick-clearance goals is to enhance motorist and responder safety and minimize congestion.